Apparatus for branding checks



(No Model.) 4 SheetsSheet 1.

E. E. ANGELL.

APPARATUS FOR BRANDING CHECKS. No. 588,940. Patented Aug. 31,1897.

THE A .5' U175 F,

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. E. ANGELL.

APPARATUS FOR BRANDING CHECKS.

No. 588,940. Patented (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

E. E. A'NGELL. APPARATUS FOR BRANDING GHEGKS.

No. 588,940. Patented Aug. 31,1897.

(No Model.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 4. E. E. ANGELL.

APPARATUS FOR BRANDING CHECKS.

Patented Aug. 31,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDlVlN E. ANGELL, OF SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR BRANDING CHECKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,940, dated August31, 1897.

Application filecl April 3, 1895. Serial No. 644,872. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN E. ANGELL, of Somerville, county of Middlesex,and State of Massachusetts,have invented certain new an d usefulImprovements in Electric Punches or Branders; and I do hereby declarethat the following is afull, clear, and exact description of theinvention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an electric punch or brander for marking orbranding checks, bonds, and other articles to prevent the value of thesame being changed, as it is not an uncommon thing at the present timefor bankehecks which have been marked with the ordinary bank-punch tohave the perforations filled up and then repunched or perforated of ahigher value to correspond with the change of value which has beenfraudulently made in the body of the cheek.

One object of my invention is to pass an electric current through thebranding or marking figures, letters, or characters, which are therebyraised to a proper degree of heat for the purpose of branding or markingsaid letters, figures, or characters on, into, or through the check orarticle to be marked or branded.

My invention consists of certain novel features, arrangements, andcombinations hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure 1 isa plan view of the punch or defacer. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the punch or defacer. Fig. 4is a view with certain parts omitted and showing the base in section andthe revolvin punchholding head removed, with the vertical column andfeed operating spindle in'scction at the top. Figs. 5 and 6 are diagramsshowing the electric circuit, Fig. 5 being a reversed plan view showingthe punch-holder in circuit and Fig. (3 an elevation with the circuitbroken. Figs. 7 and 8 represent two checks in which the figures havebeen branded or perforated in the upper left-hand corner by theapparatus. Fig. 9 is a detail View, hereinafter explained. Figs. 10, 11,12, and 13 are detail views of the punch and holder, showing the samerespectively in side, plan, side, and plan views. Fig. 14: is anenlarged view showing the manner in which the punch-wire is embedded ormolded into the holder. Fig. 15 shows a diagram representing amodification of the resistance with means for regulating the current.Fig. 16 is a perspective view of a modification, showing twopunch-holders in circuit at the same time.

In the drawings like letters of reference refer to like parts throughoutthe several views.

The cylindrical base A has at one side a vertical column A, easttherewith, which at its upper end A is of reduced diameter, which formsa bearing for the hub B of the revolving punch or defacer. From said hub13 radial arms E extend and terminate in the circular ring F. On the topof said column A there is screwed down a cap 0, to which is pivoted anoperating lever D at D, and this lever is guided by the guide-slotformed in the lugD cast 011 the opposite side of the cap end 0, and atthe upper end of said slot there is a pin D which limits the upwardmovement of said lever. \Vith the ring F there is cast a series ofhollow vertical lugs G, through each of which passes the punch-holdingspindle G, and near the upper end there are provided two oppositesplines G made solid upon the spindle for the purpose of engaging theslot Gr in the casting G, in which they are adapted to move up an ddown, an d a spring G mounted around the spindle within the lug Gr,bears against the under side of the splines G for the purpose of holdingthe spindle in the upper position.

G represent ears projecting from the ring F, on the upper side of whichthere is a figure or character corresponding to the figure or characteron the under side of the punch, in order that the operator maybring theproper figure or character over the article to be punched or branded byfollowing the charac' ters on the said arms.

GT represent pins on the spindle adapted to limit the upward movement ofsaid spindle in the lug G. G represents the upper end of said spindle,which. is made cone shape, and is adapted to engage with the recess Dfor ICO the purpose of bringing the punches into a central workingposition by engaging the recess D" in the lever D, which is providedwith a knob D 1" or easy manipulation.

The lower end of each spindle is threaded for the purpose of mountingthe punch-holder H. A check-nut H is for the purpose of adjusting thepunch-holder in the proper position 011 the spindle. On each side of thepunch-holder there are provided cars 11 for the purpose of holding thepunch-wire II in position and form a bearing for the punchwire H H andII are the terminals of the punchwire in the punch-holder.

11 represents a character which is to be 'aised to the proper degree oftemperature by the current passing through it for branding the article.

Through the central part of the vertical column A there is arranged avertical feedspindle K, at the upper end of which there is provided afork K, in which is arranged the lever D, and by means of the spring Kthis spindle is held in its upper position. The lower end of saidspindle is provided with the pawl K which engages with the feed ratchetwheel K, and is held in contact with the feed ratchet-wheel by a springK. This feed ratchet-wheel is mounted on the shaft K, which has suitablebearings arranged in the casting A. Mounted on the same shaft K there isa feed-wheel L, having a rubber periphery L for the purpose of engagingwith the under side of the material to be marked for the purpose ofmoving it along as the characters are branded. The said material is helddown on the feedwheel by the pressure of the plate J, having an openingJ, through which the punch passes, and said plate is pivoted at J andisheld 011 the paper by means of the spring J secured to the column A.

In the upper side of the casting A there is provided a recess N,directly under the working position of the punch, and in said recessthere is arranged a piece of rubber backing N for the glass or any othersuitable nonconducting material N for the purpose of preventingshort-circuitin g, which, while not absolutely necessary, may be used,if desired.

M represents a check through which characters have been branded in fulllines in the upper left-hand corner, and M represents a check throughwhich the characters have been perforated in the upper left-hand corner.

111 Fig. 11 is shown a full-line figure, while Fig. 13 represents aholder in which the figure is formed in loops and not in full lines, asFig. 11. The current, Fig. 3, enters at 0, passes through the wire 0,through the regulating-resistance device 0 to the regulatinglever O bythe contact-pieces O on the bottom of each coil, and then through theregulating-lever, (see Fig. 4,) 0 through the wire 0', Fig. 4, to thearm 0 and then through the oscillating spindle O to the contact-arm 0through the punch by means of the punch wire ll'", through thepunch-terminals H and 11 to the contact-arm O 011 the oscillatingspindle 0, through the vertical arm 0 to the contact-piece 0, Fig. 9,mounted on the insulating-block 0 and out at O to the source of supply.The spring 0" holds the arms 0 and O and the contact-arms O and O intheir normal positions (shown in Fig. 4:) when not pressed down by thecontact-ears H of the punch, so that the circuit is not,

completed through the arm 0 to the contactpiece 0 until the arm 0 isbrought into contact with the contact-piece O by the downward movementof the punch. In the downward movement of the punch the terminals H" andI1 come in contact with the contact-arms O and O and move the arm 0 intocontact with the contact-piece 0 against the tension of the spring 0 andthereby completes the circuit through the punch to bring the characteron the bottom of the said punch to such a degree of heat as to brand thecharacter on or through the paper or article to be marked. In order tobrand a check or other article, it is simply necessary to revolve thering F, in which are mounted the punches, so that the character desiredis brought under the recess D in lever .D and the spindle of the punchis pressed down and the character branded on the article, as previouslyexplained, and then by releasing the pressure on the lever D the punchmoves up by reason of the tension of the spring G and at the same timethe spring K raises up the feedspindle K and the lever D, and at thesame time the pawl K engages with the feed ratchet-wheel K andautomatically feeds the check or other article by causing a revolutionof the feed-wheel L, and thus brings the paper into position to befurther branded or removed, as may be desired.

The resistance device 0 is shown as composed of five spools in Fig. 1and three spools each in Figs. 3 and at, as these last views showsections of the machine. This resistance is arranged in spool form withcircuit contactpieces 0 at the bottom of each spool, with which thelever O is adapted to contact in its movements. Of course any form ofregulating-resistance device can be used, and I have shown this simplyto illustrate a device to carry out the operation of my device.

The diagram of the resistance is more clearly illustrated in Fig. 15.Five resistance spools or coils O are shown, and contactpieces 0 at thebottom, with which the lever O is adapted to contact as it moves around.At the right hand there is one spool in the circuit, and as you movetoward the left the resistance increases until the last spool or coil011 the left is reached,where the resistance is the greatest, as all thespools are then in circuit.

0 represents the battery or source of sup ply and the current passingout through the positive wire, through the resistance-spools,

contact-pieces O lever 0 to the cross 0", which in this view representsthe punch to be heated and the work to be acted upon, and from thereback to the source of energy.

Fig. 14 represents a sectional view of a part of the punch-holder, and Hrepresents earthenware 0r porcelain in which the wire II is molded in aloop form, one half the loop being molded into the punch-holder H andthe other half of the loop, extending below the earthenware or likematerial, being used to form a character on the lower end of thepunch-holder, and when the circuit is closed, as in a manner previouslydescribed, the loops which are in the form of a designating-characterprojecting out from the holder are raised to a-sufiicient heat to brandthe character-on the material to be marked.

Figs. 5 and 6 are diagram views of the circuit.

Referring now to Fig. 16, the circuit passes from the battery 0 in thedirection indicated by the arrow to the arm 0 and then through theoscillating arm 0 to the oscillating arm P, from the arm P through thewire H through the punch an d designating-character on the bottom, andout through the contact H to the oscillating arm P and from the arm P tothe oscillating arm O and from the arm 0 to the arm 0 and back from thearm 0 to the source of energy 0 i All the parts in Fig. 16 are the sameas in the other views excepting the arms P and P, through which thecircuit is entered and carried oft. These arms are adapted to bring asecond punch into circuit before the last operating-punch has moved outof circuit, and two punches are shown in contact with the arms P and P,and the right-hand punch, having performed its work, is at its highestpoint and passing off to the right away from contact with the two arms PP, and the lefthand punch has passed into circuit, so that as theright-hand punch passes off the current passes through the left-handpunch and prevents arcing. In other words, there is always one punch incircuit ready to be pushed down to perform its work, so that thedifference between the two systems, as shown in the previous figures, isthat in Fig. 16 there is a continuous circuit working, whereas in otherviews the circuit may be put on or oit, as required, and the circuit isestablished in the operation of the punch.

I do not limit myself to the arrangement and construction shown,as thesame may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus'ascertained the nature of my invention and set forth aconstruction embodying the same, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In an apparatus for punching or branding checks or other articles, aholder of nonconducting material, and a wire of conducting materialpartly embedded in said nonconducting material and having a series ofsections of the same projecting from said nonconducting material to forma character.

2. In an apparatus for punching or branding checks or other articles, aholder of nonconducting material, and a wire of conducting materialpartly embedded in said nonconducting material, bent into an irregularform, and having a series of sections projecting from saidnon-conducting material to form a character of a broken outline.

3. In an apparatus for punching or branding checks or other articles, aholder of nonconducting material, and a corrugated wire of conductingmaterial partly embedded in said non-cond uctin g material, and havingthe apeXes of said corrugations projecting from said non-conductingmaterial to form a character of a broken outline.

4:. In an apparatus for punching or branding checks or other articles,an electric circuit normally open, hinged arms forming movable terminalsfor said circuit, a series of supports, characters formed of conductingmaterial mounted on said supports and insulated from the same, a carrierfor said supports adapted to move one or the other of the same into aposition to cause the character carried by the support so moved toengage with said arms to close said circuit.

5. In an apparatus for punching or branding checks or other articles, anelectric circuit, a hinged spring-arm forming one of the terminals ofsaid circuit, a metallic block forming the other terminal,ahingedspring-pressed arm adapted to contact with said block, a movablesupport, a character formed of conducting material mounted on saidsupport and insulated from the same, and .a mechanism for moving saidsupport to bring said character into contact with said levers and topress the second-mentioned lever into contact with said block andthereby close the circuit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 2d day of April, A. D.1895.

EDWIN E. ANGELL. lVitnesses:

L. H. TROW, E. L. HARLOW.

